Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: hogsniper on December 02, 2010, 12:24:34 PM

Title: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: hogsniper on December 02, 2010, 12:24:34 PM: Whats the best E caller out there for the money??? Looking at getting one and there are sooo many options...
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 02, 2010, 12:26:43 PM: The spitfire is on the lower end, as far as price. But seems to be, a pretty darn good caller for the money.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Kain on December 02, 2010, 01:40:26 PM: Quote from: carpsniperg2 on December 02, 2010, 12:26:43 PM
The spitfire is on the lower end, as far as price. But seems to be, a pretty darn good caller for the money.

:yeah:

I think for the options you get and the quality rep of the company to back it up it is a very high value. If you are not looking for new you can probably get a call with more options for just a little more.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: tlbradford on December 02, 2010, 01:44:09 PM: I agree with the Spitfire. Most bang for your bck to get a remote caller.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: demontang on December 02, 2010, 01:49:26 PM: I like the fx3 myself but its a little more change then the spitfire. Fox pro seems to have a very good product and they stand behind it 100%.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: WiseOldYote on December 02, 2010, 01:58:44 PM: For the money and capability- Kanati Tek CX-1! If you need more volume plug in a couple speakers, But plenty loud enough without. :twocents:
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Kain on December 02, 2010, 02:10:17 PM: Cabela's has a $20 off purchases of a $100 or more. That would make the Spitfire $180.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: bearmanric on December 02, 2010, 02:42:39 PM: Foxpro. going calling tomorrow with Bofire we wil have the older and newer scorpions. i know the owner of Kanati Tek. he built the boards for Minaska when they started out. good caller to. Rick
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Jerry malbeck on December 02, 2010, 08:14:36 PM: I know a little about Electronic callers , if you give me more info i can help you pick one that will fit your needs .
How much do you want to spend
What kind of areas do you intend to use the caller in I.E. big open country , tight brush,treed areas, hilly terrain etc.
what kind of animals do you intend to call with the unit
how much walking will you be doing and is size and weight a issue to you
will you be using hand calls along with the e unit.
do you want or need a remote to get the sound AWAY from you.
how much do you really intend to use this , a few times a year or every free minute that you can get out and call .
last but not least do you intend for this to be the magic bullet that makes it all happen for you?
Let me know what your really wanting from a caller and ill be able to honestly give you a point in the right direction .
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 08:17:58 PM: Foxpro makes good callers, and any of the models will do the job. I chose the Scorpion X1-B, mainly for the portability. My buddy has an FX-something Foxpro and last year we set it up on a really cold day and the cold killed the batteries in about 20 minutes. Yesterday I went out on a stand in 19 degree cold. I got a bright idea and moved the jumper inside the Scorpion to turn off the speaker in the caller, hung the unit inside my coveralls to keep it warm, and ran an external speaker cord out of the caller to a speaker and at the end of an hour and a half the caller was sill going strong. If the speaker got cold, it sure didn't complain, and was plenty loud even on setting 5 or 6. So, I guess yuo can say I'm happy with my Scorpion. I ordered mine from FnT Trading Post, Had it programmed with the 50 calls I wanted, and free shipping. Took a week to get here, but it was just the way I wanted it. The external speaker was $60 bucks more, but sure adds to the versatility.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: hogsniper on December 02, 2010, 08:24:56 PM: Thanks for all the replys...I currently use mouth calls and use a buddy's E caller with a cord. It is wayyy old school but has worked for us. Its just time for an upgrade. I like to hunt Western Wa but now live in E. Oregon. I will be using the call for both of these places but more here in the open sage or mountain meadows. I want one that is going to be sufficient for everything I need but dont want to spend the 600 for the fury. Probably half that would be great. Also I see lots are advertised with 30-50 sounds. Do you have any say on what they are? Size and weight are to be taken into consideration but I dont mind throwing it in a back pack and carrying it. I want to use it every chance I get down here since I prob. wont be deer or elk hunting much down here.....Thanks again for all the replys! Justin
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: CAMPMEAT on December 02, 2010, 08:29:51 PM: Quote from: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 08:17:58 PM
Foxpro makes good callers, and any of the models will do the job. I chose the Scorpion X1-B, mainly for the portability. My buddy has an FX-something Foxpro and last year we set it up on a really cold day and the cold killed the batteries in about 20 minutes. Yesterday I went out on a stand in 19 degree cold. I got a bright idea and moved the jumper inside the Scorpion to turn off the speaker in the caller, hung the unit inside my coveralls to keep it warm, and ran an external speaker cord out of the caller to a speaker and at the end of an hour and a half the caller was sill going strong. If the speaker got cold, it sure didn't complain, and was plenty loud even on setting 5 or 6. So, I guess yuo can say I'm happy with my Scorpion. I ordered mine from FnT Trading Post, Had it programmed with the 50 calls I wanted, and free shipping. Took a week to get here, but it was just the way I wanted it. The external speaker was $60 bucks more, but sure adds to the versatility.

I gotta ask you, does the Scorpion have vibrate mode when turned on ? ;) ;)
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 08:40:38 PM: Quote from: CAMPMEAT on December 02, 2010, 08:29:51 PM
Quote from: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 08:17:58 PM
Foxpro makes good callers, and any of the models will do the job. I chose the Scorpion X1-B, mainly for the portability. My buddy has an FX-something Foxpro and last year we set it up on a really cold day and the cold killed the batteries in about 20 minutes. Yesterday I went out on a stand in 19 degree cold. I got a bright idea and moved the jumper inside the Scorpion to turn off the speaker in the caller, hung the unit inside my coveralls to keep it warm, and ran an external speaker cord out of the caller to a speaker and at the end of an hour and a half the caller was sill going strong. If the speaker got cold, it sure didn't complain, and was plenty loud even on setting 5 or 6. So, I guess yuo can say I'm happy with my Scorpion. I ordered mine from FnT Trading Post, Had it programmed with the 50 calls I wanted, and free shipping. Took a week to get here, but it was just the way I wanted it. The external speaker was $60 bucks more, but sure adds to the versatility.

I gotta ask you, does the Scorpion have vibrate mode when turned on ? ;) ;)

Sure! Just don't mute the internal speaker when you put it in your pocket. :chuckle:
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 09:03:26 PM: Hogsniper: If you order the caller from a dealer,you pick the calls you want from a list. If you buy one off the shelf, it will be preloaded with a set of calls, some of which you may not need or want. I just dug oiut the invoice for mine to see if it was close to your price range. $349.95 total, delivered to my burrow. It will hold 200 calls if more need be added. The speaker in the unit is pretty loud, but there is a bit of distotion on volume 9 & 10. What I mainly like is it's compactness. For info, the X1-A is the older model. The X1-B is the new model with a better remote unit, and "Foxbang", a feature that senses the first shot and switches to another call you can preset such as "ki-yi" that sometimes stops a running dog long enough to get a second shot off. That's the theory--don't know if it works,though.

And no, it doesn't have "vibrate mode" :)
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: fair-chase on December 02, 2010, 09:18:48 PM: When you do get one don't forget to put your remote on a lanyard or wrist strap. I lost mine for my fx3. Foxpro says $150 for a replacement. Plus shipping of my caller both ways and no I cannot upgrade to the new style remote. Well I only paid $275 for the whole thing new so I don't see dropping another $150 for a remote. I will just wait it out until I can get the fury.

As far as batteries go, I had the same problem with the cold weather. Went to duracell rechargables. Bought 8 rechargable aa's and a charger from wallmart. Out the door for less than 50 bucks. I have ran the caller for three days solid in cold weather without a problem. Takes a full day to recharge but it's worth it.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: LoveofGame on December 02, 2010, 09:34:28 PM: I like the foxpro products. They've worked well for me. Hogsniper, there's nothing wrong with using old school devices, if I could use a mouth peice, then you're lucky. They're sure not as easy as they look. I tried for awhile to use them and then gave up. I'll just use the electronic calls for now. Fair-chase seriously a replacement remote is only 150? I paid 500 bucks when I got my caller so 150 bucks doesn't sound as bad as having to pay for a new caller.

by the way, need to find additional sites where free calls are found for the caller, anyone have any ideas?
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 09:38:45 PM: Quote from: fair-chase on December 02, 2010, 09:18:48 PM
When you do get one don't forget to put your remote on a lanyard or wrist strap. I lost mine for my fx3. Foxpro says $150 for a replacement. Plus shipping of my caller both ways and no I cannot upgrade to the new style remote. Well I only paid $275 for the whole thing new so I don't see dropping another $150 for a remote. I will just wait it out until I can get the fury.

As far as batteries go, I had the same problem with the cold weather. Went to duracell rechargables. Bought 8 rechargable aa's and a charger from wallmart. Out the door for less than 50 bucks. I have ran the caller for three days solid in cold weather without a problem. Takes a full day to recharge but it's worth it.

Hmmm...So it sounds like the remotes are keyed to the caller like a garage door opener? I wondered if my buddy and I both took our callers, if they'd be fighting each other.

Just a personal observation; Before I retired, I worked on a winter construction job where we used a digital transit and lasers, and the cold sapped batteries quickly. Of all the brands of batteries we bought, Duracells seemed to hold up the best out in the cold. Thus, I always try to get Duracells for my electronic stuff. Energizers are my next best choice.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 02, 2010, 09:45:57 PM: Loveofgame; Try VarmintAl's website for free call downloads. www.varmintals.com (http://www.varmintals.com) , I think. Been a while since I've been there, but was a good resource as I recall.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: hoosier85 on December 02, 2010, 09:58:51 PM: Fox pro spit fire justin. Yes you have say cause there is a memmory stick that you can update any time
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: fair-chase on December 02, 2010, 10:07:08 PM: Heredoggy, yes foxpro said that the remotes are programmed to each individual caller. Hence the reason I would have to ship them my caller to get a new remote. I am not sure what the bandwidth is though or if they are close enough for some crossover. It would be interesting to put a couple of them next to each other and see how they would act.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: bearmanric on December 03, 2010, 05:31:59 AM: this will help.

http://gofoxpro.com/ (http://gofoxpro.com/)

http://www.allpredatorcalls.com/ (http://www.allpredatorcalls.com/)
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Jerry malbeck on December 03, 2010, 07:14:54 AM: I would go with a FX3 ( in your price range)if you can still get your hands on one .
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: loaderboy on December 03, 2010, 08:16:03 AM: I have a wildlife technologies mighty atom and for a top end caller they are awesome.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: ivarhusa on December 03, 2010, 10:00:27 AM: I sure see the "you get what you pay for" in e-callers. The high end ones are real sweet, what with illuminated displays (text screen) and all, but "bring money". I have a Kanati Tek CX-1, sort of their middle-model. It has great battery life and pretty good sound reproduction. I kicked in an extra $20 or so and got an external horn-type speaker that increases the volume a good bit. When hunting with Jerry, he seemed to play sounds louder than I've been, so don't skimp on "loudness" capability.

I am a little bit challenged by the remote, but then I only have this one, and no others to compare to. It takes practice to use, but the flexibility makes that practice pay off. (Of course I wish I could afford that digital display...) You can select from 100 sounds at a time, with different content on as many thumb drives as you want. It has some advanced audio features that I haven't experimented with. Sound effects, I guess you might call them. Might help, but right now I am focusing my game in other areas.

Ivar
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: VarmintVentilator on December 03, 2010, 01:29:23 PM: I have a spitfire, and the sounds are top quality. It's draw back is the controller. You don't know when the mute is on, and it's also very low quality. It's back at foxpro getting fixed right now. The controller went gunny bag. :twocents:
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: CastleRocker on December 03, 2010, 01:52:46 PM: Best e-caller for the money;

My first caller was the "best for the money". I made the wireless version of Varmint Al's El Cheapo. Used an off-brand mp3 player that one of my kid's had. Then bought a Nady 151 wireless mic set on ebay. All the other parts came from Radio Shack or the local electronics store. I used an old tackle box to house it all. There are a LOT of call sounds for free to download all over the internet. It cost me around $50 to build and was a fun project. I still have it, and I still use it occasionally.

I upgraded to a used FX-5 setup. I bought it from a guy on the Predator Masters Forum. There is usually some for sale on there. Check for a few months after Christmas, that's when guys that got them from Santa will be selling them. I don't know why though, because I've been very happy (and successful) with mine.

I recently purchased a W/T caller, hoping to use it for cougar, but I can't seem to find anyone who has figured out how to reprogram the card with Steve's sounds.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: tlbradford on December 03, 2010, 03:41:02 PM: Quote from: CastleRocker on December 03, 2010, 01:52:46 PM

I recently purchased a W/T caller, hoping to use it for cougar, but I can't seem to find anyone who has figured out how to reprogram the card with Steve's sounds.

You won't find anyone to reprogram the card with Steve's sounds. Your best bet to try would be to contact Mark Healy and see if he would do something for you. I would guess that he knows, or has talked to Steve, and might do it for you.

Mark Healy
mark@wildlifecallers.com
480-882-1210
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: billythekidrock on December 03, 2010, 05:00:26 PM: Quote from: fair-chase on December 02, 2010, 10:07:08 PM
Heredoggy, yes foxpro said that the remotes are programmed to each individual caller.

I am not sure which model you are reffering to, but I know that this is not always the case. I was able to control my buddies foxpro and he mine. It was a pain in the rig because if you turned one on to check or change sounds it would play both calls and one call always ended up left on. :bash:
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Jerry malbeck on December 03, 2010, 05:27:55 PM: Guys , read your owners manuals , look under channel selection , many models will allow you to operate separate callers with one remote , and have no problems doing it .
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: gramps on December 03, 2010, 06:36:28 PM: I really like my FoxPro Fury. I took some of the stick on cabinet door bumpers and cut them in half and stuck them on some of the buttons on the remote for easier use..I did the up and down vol. and the mute.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Bofire on December 03, 2010, 07:34:42 PM: :)my old scorpian is settable for the caller so that two calls can be used, an A and B switch kinda deal. Now if I could figure out the programming part??????????? :dunno:
Little Ricky and I had a great time today, lots of hunters and bad weather but good talk, good company and a few good stands.
(Little Ricky = Bearmanric) about 6'5" and 260 lbs of Little!!LOL
Carl
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 03, 2010, 07:55:43 PM: Yes, Gramps, I think the Fury is the Cadillac of the Foxpro callers, even though they have a couple of newer models that could be BMW's and Mercedes. I considered the Fury, but I wanted a caller that would fit in my vest or cargo pocket so I went with the Scorpion. If I'm not going too far from the truck I take an external speaker along, and that makes it loud enough to echo off the hills.

I see All Predator Calls .com has been recommended. I like to order from them, but I ordered my caller from www.fntpost.com (http://www.fntpost.com) as the price was the same,but shipping was free. They are in Michigan, so delivery time was a few days longer but I ordered it in summer so it was no biggie. A rep from the company even called me the next day to tell me my choice of camo was out of stock until the next week, but if I wanted to substitute one of the Realtree camo'd ones he could program and ship it that day. Great service, IMO. If anyone is considering the purchase of a caller, I see in their 2010-2011 catalog that shipping is free on all the Foxpro models.

Discaimer: I am in no way associated with F&T Post. Just a satisfied customer.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Kain on December 03, 2010, 08:09:23 PM: FX3 on sale for $300 at Cabela's. Its gonna be preloaded with sounds but that is a smoking deal especially if you can get the $20 off.

http://www.cabelas.com/electronic-calls-foxpro-fx3-predator-call.shtml?type=product&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=741235&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=F8D062CB-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA (http://www.cabelas.com/electronic-calls-foxpro-fx3-predator-call.shtml?type=product&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=741235&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=F8D062CB-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA)
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on December 03, 2010, 08:10:22 PM: Quote from: Bofire on December 03, 2010, 07:34:42 PM
:)my old scorpian is settable for the caller so that two calls can be used, an A and B switch kinda deal. Now if I could figure out the programming part??????????? :dunno:
Little Ricky and I had a great time today, lots of hunters and bad weather but good talk, good company and a few good stands.
(Little Ricky = Bearmanric) about 6'5" and 260 lbs of Little!!LOL
Carl

Yeah, I know what you mean about the programming. My caller came with a USB plug thingie that you remove the memory chip out of the caller and hook it to your computer to download calls. Only thing is, I can't figure out how to get the memory chip out of the unit without risking breaking something. Not a problem for me, since I haven't yet used all the calls that I had the dealer put in it yet. The manual says there is a more detailed tutorial on the Foxpro website, so you could get the ifo you need there.
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: saylean on December 03, 2010, 09:10:14 PM: I got the spitfire and am happy with it. It didnt cost me an arm and a leg, but it does its job so far.

I still prefer hand calling though....I just want to use it for a coug!
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: hogsniper on December 03, 2010, 09:28:00 PM: Thanks again everybody for all the info. I went with the fx3 from cabelas and will be at my house next week. Take care and happy hunting! Ill post pics as soon as I get my first kill with it!
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 03, 2010, 09:31:02 PM: Great! looks forward to the pics :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: best E caller for your buck!
Post by: Blacklab on December 04, 2010, 11:04:39 AM: Quote from: carpsniperg2 on December 03, 2010, 09:31:02 PM
Great! looks forward to the pics :IBCOOL:

X 2
you'll love it